Darkness is Rising
by X-Shadow.of.Darkness-X
Summary: Voldemort never attempted to kill Harry that fateful night in Godric's Hollow. Instead, he set in motion a plan that would take many lives, tear families apart, and forever change the face of the wizarding world. No one is safe. Darkness is rising. WARNING! Character deaths. Rated T for now, may change later on. Adopted from LovingAggression
1. A New Plan

**Darkness is Rising**

**Summary:**** Voldemort never attempted to kill Harry that fateful night in Godric's Hollow. Instead, he set in motion a plan that would take many lives, tear families apart, and forever change the face of the wizarding world. No one is safe. The world is changing.**

**A/N:**** This will only follow canon loosely. We've all read the books, so we know what is meant to happen. This will be a long fic, as I will be covering all 7 years at Hogwarts, and a few years after. I will be using spells from the games, books and films, and will be making some up as I go if no incantation is given, or I create the spell myself.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise in this story. Harry Potter is the property of J.K Rowling**

**Chapter One – A New Plan**

Halloween, 1981. The wind was howling through the trees that lined the cemetery in Godric's Hollow, an eerie soundtrack to the night. Children ran from house to house, dressed up as pumpkins, witches and ghosts. Shop fronts were decorated with jack o'lanterns and plastic bats.

Stood in the middle of the village square was a man dressed in a long, dark, hooded robe. He looked around, a small sneer on his lips. He walked forward slowly, savouring the hunt. They had no reason to suspect he was coming, no reason to suspect this night would be their last. He watched the Muggle children running up the street, bags stuffed with sweets, fingering his wand within his robes. It would be so easy to kill them, they would never see it coming. _But unnecessary_, he thought to himself, _quite unnecessary_.

He had reached the street. He could see the house, no longer under the protection of the Fidelius Charm. _Fools, to think they could place their trust in their friends._

As he drew closer, he could see the family through the window. A man was conjuring smoke rings from his wand while a woman bounced a child on her lap, laughing.

_The child..._

The child was the reason he was here tonight. The child the prophecy had said would have the power to defeat him. Tonight, he would ensure the child didn't have a chance to gain that power. He pushed the gate open, his eyes set on the window. As he watched, the woman got up and carried the child out of the room. The man stretched, throwing his wand onto the sofa.

He had reached the front door. He pulled his wand from beneath his cloak, aiming it at the door.

"_Bombarda!_"

The door flew off it's hinges, rocketing into the house and landing down the hallway inside. As he stepped over the threshold, the man burst into the hallway.

"Lily! It's him, he's here! Take Harry and go! I'll hold him off!"

_Hold me off, without a wand?_ He laughed as he raised his wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

There was a flash of green light, and the man fell to the floor. He stepped over the lifeless body and made his way up the stairs. He could hear a woman sobbing behind a closed door. He blasted the door out of the way, stalking towards the woman.

"Not Harry! Please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl, stand aside now!"

"Not Harry! Please, no!"

He raised his wand. "This is your last chance..."

She didn't move.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

A flash of green light, and the woman, like her husband, fell to the floor. He glanced around the room, and saw a cot in the far corner. He walked menacingly toward it. He looked down into the cot. The boy was sat staring up at him, his emerald green eyes trying to look under the hood. He raised his wand, aiming right between the child's eyes...

Then he stopped. He looked back at the woman on the floor, then back at the child, gazing at his wand curiously.

_The woman..._

Then he realised; the woman had just sacrificed herself for the child. He could no longer harm him. He felt rage boil up inside him. He pointed his wand at the ceiling.

"_Confringo!_"

The ceiling exploded, leaving a gaping hole in it's place. He screamed, and Disapparated.

oOoOo

He reappeared outside a grandiose manor house, with vast spreading lawns and ornate statues and fountains. He wound his way up the path, cloak billowing behind him. As he approached the doors, he jabbed his wand, causing them to fly open.

"Master?" squeaked a small house elf, as he swept past.

"Contact the inner circle, I want them here immediately." he said, in a dangerously low voice.

"Yes, master." the house elf squeaked again, before scuttling away hurriedly.

He pushed open the doors to a large conference room, sweeping up to the head of a long table. A large snake lay coiled in the centre of the table, and as he sat, it slowly slithered up to him, winding itself across his shoulders. There he waited, twirling his wand between his fingers, lost in thought.

Moments later, the door to the conference room opened again, and nine people filed through; Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Yaxley, Thorfinn Rowle, Augustus Rookwood, Antonin Dolohov, Travers and Barty Crouch Jr. They all took their respective seats around the table and waited for their master to speak.

"I have run into an unforeseen problem," he began. No-one dared say anything, so he continued. "I could not kill the boy. The Mudblood sacrificed herself to protect the boy. I cannot harm him."

A couple of Death Eaters exchanged worried looks. Travers spoke up.

"M-my Lord? Do you want one of us to kill the boy for you?"

"You think that I, Lord Voldemort, would entrust this task to you, Travers?" Voldemort asked icily. "Or any of you?" he asked the room at large, as several people made noises of amusement. The room went instantly silent. Voldemort sneered slightly before continuing. "No, I need someone I can trust implicitly, someone I can train myself. It will not be any of you," he said, as Bellatrix made to open her mouth to speak. "I need a child. A child raised as my own, under my tutelage would be a powerful weapon indeed."

Still no-one spoke.

"Bellatrix," he said suddenly.

"My Lord?"

"I want you and Barty to find me a pure-blood child. 1 year old at the oldest. Kill the parents and make it seem as though the child was killed as well. Then bring the child to me."

She nodded. "It will be done, my Lord."

"I expect your mission completed within two days. If the child is harmed in any way, the consequences will be...severe." He stroked the snake's head. "For now, we will step down our attacks. Let the Order think they have won. We will strike when I feel the time is right. You are all dismissed."

Everyone stood up, bowing to Voldemort and made to leave.

"Severus? A word, if you please."

Snape slid his travelling cloak back off his shoulders, hanging it on a chair.

"What do you require of me, my Lord?"

"You must make sure that your position at Hogwarts is not compromised. Dumbledore still thinks you're loyal to him. Make sure it stays that way."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Dismissed."

Snape threw his cloak back around his shoulders and strode out of the room.

_**An unfortunate turn of events, Nagini,**_ he hissed to the snake, still coiled around his shoulders, _**but soon we shall have a weapon more powerful than all of them put together.**_

_**A well-thought out plan, master**_, the snake hissed back.

Voldemort smiled to himself. _A well thought out plan indeed._

oOoOo

"Well?"

"We have a child, my Lord, we relieved him from the Copplestone family."

"Excellent. Pass him here, Bella."

From within the folds of her cloak, Bellatrix produced a small bundle, wrapped in emerald green silk. She passed the baby across the desk to Voldemort, who held the child in one arm as he pulled his wand out with the other. He pressed the tip of his wand against the baby's outstretched arm.

"_Morsmordre!_"

As he took his wand away, he, Bella and Barty watched as a small Dark Mark appeared on the infant's arm, before disappearing again.

"Was that meant to happen?" Barty asked, still looking at the spot the Dark Mark had been.

"Yes," Voldemort answered. "Part of my long-term plan is to take control of Hogwarts. He will be sent to Hogwarts when he is eligible. A Dark Mark on a first year will attract far too much unwanted attention. Now," he said, turning and levitating two vials of potion onto the desk. "he must be linked to me." He set the child down and unstoppered both vials. He pricked his finger and allowed a few drops of his blood to enter the first vial. He then took a small amount of blood from the child's finger, dropping it into the other vial. He picked up the vial and downed the contents. He then tipped the contents of the other vial into the baby's mouth.

Both Bellatrix and Barty watched the whole procedure silently. They watched as Voldemort picked up the child again.

"What is his name?"

"Matthew, my Lord."

Voldemort looked down at baby Matthew.

"You are destined for greatness, Matthew Orpheus Riddle. In time, everyone will fear your name, and together, we shall rule the world!"


	2. The Hogwarts Letter

**Chapter Two – The Hogwarts Letter**

Ten years had passed since Lord Voldemort had taken a child under his wing, but little had changed about Riddle Manor. The vast lawns and ornate fountains and statues were still in pristine condition. The path winding its way to the doors still looked brand new. From the outside, it seemed exactly the same as it had all those years ago.

Inside, however, the manor had taken on a much more homely quality. Torches burned brightly in their brackets, illuminating a large entrance hall. Everything was sparkling clean. The only new additions were the portraits of the Dark Lord and a young boy.

Matthew Orpheus Riddle had long, shoulder length, black hair, icy blue eyes, and paler than normal skin. Thanks to the bonding potion, he had inherited some of Lord Voldemort's innate as well as aesthetic qualities. He had been able to speak Parseltongue since he could talk, and due to his diet being supplemented with magic-enhancing potions, he had power greater than many adult wizards. At the current moment, he was in the dungeons of the manor, practising with three of his father's Death Eaters.

"_Stupefy!_" One of the Death Eaters was thrown across the room. Another sent a Stinging Jinx at Matthew, who whipped his wand through the air, sending the jinx at the third Death Eater, who howled in pain as his face began to swell up. "_Confringo!_" A section of floor in front of the remaining Death Eater exploded, knocking the man off balance. As he stumbled, Matthew ran forward, wand at the ready. "_Levicorpus!_" The man gave a shout of surprise as he felt himself being yanked into the air. He tried to send a curse at Matthew, but Matthew flicked his wand, and the curse sailed past him, hitting the wall behind him. He flicked his wand again, and the man was tossed into the third Death Eater. They collapsed in a pile on the floor.

"Excellent work, Matthew." came a voice from the doorway. Matthew turned to see his father, Lord Voldemort, standing there, looking immensely pleased.

"Thank you, Father."

Voldemort strode into the room. The three Death Eaters hurriedly got to their feet.

"M-my Lord."

Voldemort looked at them all coldly.

"I would have thought that three grown men would have had no trouble defeating an 11 year old boy." Voldemort said, sneering at the three men cowering in front of him. "Clearly, I was wrong." He turned to Matthew. "The usual."

Matthew nodded and raised his wand, pointing it at the men, their eyes wide with fear. He smirked slightly at the looks on their faces. "_Crucio!_"

The men all screamed in pain. Matthew held the curse for a full minute before releasing it. Voldemort smiled a cruel smile.

"Get out of my sight!"

The Death Eaters nodded frantically and hurried out of the room without a backwards glance. Voldemort laughed his high, cold, cruel laugh before looking back at Matthew.

"This just arrived for you." He held out his hand, held in which was a letter, sealed with a crest bearing a lion, badger, eagle and snake. Matthew took it and smiled.

"Hogwarts."

Voldemort nodded.

"The next phase of our operation can finally commence. Get changed, then meet me upstairs, we will discuss it more then."

Matthew nodded. "Yes, father."

Voldemort turned on his heel, cloak billowing around him and strode out of the dungeon. Matthew slit the envelope open and pulled out the letter. His smile became more sinister as he scanned down the page. _Finally._

oOoOo

Voldemort smiled as he walked up the stairs out of the dungeons. His mind was running through all the plans he had been carefully considering for the past ten years.

When he had first started training Matthew, he had decided not to become too attached to the boy. But then he had realised that if he was too hard a taskmaster, the boy would come to resent him. So instead, he had provided everything the boy could possibly want, the finest money could buy. He had had his Death Eaters in Gringotts transfer money from the families he had killed to his account, meaning he now had an almost unlimited supply of money. The boy would live a life of luxury, while being pushed as hard as he would have been otherwise, but Matthew never once complained. He knew he was destined for greatness; Voldemort constantly reminded him of it.

In that time, he had come to see the boy as family, rather than a tool, a feeling he had never felt before. Maybe it was because of the joining potion, or the fact that he had raised the child himself, but he felt that Matthew was the only person in the world he could trust implicitly.

The Dark Lord stopped at the door of his office. He pushed the door open. Inside, waiting for him were Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch. They waited as Voldemort seated himself.

"Matthew's Hogwarts letter arrived today."

Lucius nodded.

"As did Draco's. I'm assuming your plan has not changed?"

"No, it has not. I will say no more on the matter until Matthew joins us. You may relay any information you deem necessary to Draco, as some will pertain to him."

"Yes, my lord."

Voldemort leant back in his chair, gazing intently at the door. The three Death Eaters all sat in seats on the other side of the desk as they waited for their master's son to join them.

Ten minutes later, the door opened silently and Matthew slid into the room. He had changed out of his training gear and was now clad in dark trousers and a green silk shirt. He nodded at the Death Eaters, then sat himself in the last remaining chair.

"You wanted to see me, father?"

Voldemort leant forward.

"Yes," he said, his eyes flashing slightly. "Now that we have confirmation that you will be able to attend Hogwarts, there are some details that need to be discussed.

"Firstly, Dumbledore will know that you are my son. However, the old fool seems to believe that everyone deserves a second chance, hence why Severus has managed to keep a job there, despite his ties to me. I am hopeful that he will not assume the worst of you, just for being my son. However, it is foolish to hope and not plan for the worst. While you are at school, you must not do anything that would arouse Dumbledore's suspicions. You need to be there for as long as possible, hopefully until you finish your seventh year. Getting yourself expelled will only hinder us, but I would rather avoid that entirely. Try to limit your exposure to Dumbledore."

"I understand."

"You have been trained to a very high standard, I would not be surprised if you surpass seventh years. But remember that you are meant to be a first year. First years would only know very basic magic when they first arrive. I do not want you to dumb yourself down, but do not reveal the full extent of your training." He turned to Lucius. "The same goes for Draco. He may not be as highly trained as Matthew, but he is still more advanced than first year knowledge.

"Finally, I want you to befriend as many students as you can."

"Father?"

"We need as many people as we can get. I want you to spend this year finding suitable people for our cause. Do not try to turn them yet. You will need time to gain their trust. Do not bother with Gryffindors; most, if not all of them will be from families supportive of Dumbledore. They won't turn. Most of Slytherin house are from families of my Death Eaters or those sympathetic to our cause. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw must be your priority."

Bellatrix made a noise of disgust. Voldemort ignored her.

"That is all you need to know at the moment. I will reveal more of the overall plan as and when I need to." He stood up from his chair, and Matthew and the Death Eaters mirrored him. "I will be accompanying you, Draco, Lucius and Narcissa to Diagon Alley to pick up your supplies this weekend."

"What's wrong with the stuff I have already?" Matthew asked.

"Much of it is not needed during your first year, and we have to get what it says on the list, otherwise it will draw too much attention. But I'll get you some extra books for, ah, background reading."

Matthew smirked.

"Thank you, father."

"I shall see you at dinner tonight. The rest of the day is yours to do with as you wish. The rest of you, dismissed."

The three Death Eaters filed out of the room. Bellatrix stroked the side of Matthew's face as she sidled past. Matthew waited until they had left before putting up a privacy charm.

"What was the point of having Barty here?"

"I am working on getting him into Hogwarts at some point. He must be aware of the plan from the beginning, to avoid any complications later on."

"I see." He removed the privacy charm. "I won't let you down, father."

Voldemort smiled, not his usual cold smile, but a genuine smile.

"You never do, Matthew. You never do."


	3. Diagon Alley

**Chapter Three – Diagon Alley**

"Master Matthew? Master says you must get ready to leave for Diagon Alley."

Matthew opened his eyes, his irises tinged with red from years of exposure to the Dark Arts. As he stood, the red drained into his pupils, leaving the irises electric blue.

"Thank you, Wispy. Tell him I will join him shortly."

"Certainly, Master." squeaked Wispy, before disappearing with a _crack_. Matthew stretched his arms above his head before grabbing his wand and heading down to his father's office.

Voldemort was facing a mirror when Matthew entered. He waved his wand and his face morphed into that of a handsome, middle aged man. He pushed a loose strand of hair out of his face and turned to face his son.

"Ah, Matthew. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, father."

"Good. We shall be Apparating to the Leaky Cauldron. Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and Bellatrix will be meeting us there."

Voldemort pulled a cloak off a hook by the door. He strode past Matthew, who quickly fell into step next to him. "Shall we?"

Matthew grabbed his father's outstretched arm, and instantly felt the uncomfortable sensation that came with Apparating.

They reappeared moments later in Muggle London. Matthew saw his father give a look of disgust at the Muggles swarming past them. His fingers lightly stroked the handle of his wand. Voldemort placed a hand on Matthew's back and steered him towards the dingy pub on the other side of the road. Voldemort gave one more sweeping look around the street before disappearing inside, closely followed by Matthew.

Matthew wrinkled his nose slightly as he entered the Leaky Cauldron. The air was thick with smoke from the many witches and wizards smoking pipes. Several rowdy warlocks in the corner were cackling with laughter. He watched as they stopped, downed a shot of Firewhiskey each, and continued their conversation, if possible, louder than before. _Do these people have no shame?_ He thought, pushing past a large, dumpy looking witch with red hair. _They are gifted with magic, yet act like common Muggles. There will be no place for people like this when we take over._

"Matthew!"

Matthew looked up at the sound of his name. He scanned the bar and his eyes quickly settled on the source of the voice. His oldest friend, Draco Malfoy, flanked by his mother and father. Next to them, a woman in her twenties sipped from a goblet of wine. Voldemort had heard too. He swept over to the bar, people parting as he did so, Matthew trailing in the wake his father cut.

Lucius Malfoy inclined his head respectfully as they approached.

"My Lord."

Matthew eyed the woman at the bar. On closer inspection, she appeared to be around 24, her hair hung down her back, and her robes were a deep blue. She stared right back at him. Then he noticed. _Her eyes... _Leaning forward, he whispered, "Most impressive, Bella."

The woman grinned, showing her teeth, which were white and perfectly straight.

"Can't slip anything past you, can I, Matthew?"

Matthew snorted.

"Only because I noticed your eyes were exactly the same. Had you changed them as well, I doubt I would have given you a second look."

Voldemort had evidently finished his conversation with Lucius and Narcissa and turned to Bellatrix.

"Good morning, Bellatrix."

Matthew turned his attention to the blond boy stood next to him.

"How are you, Draco?"

"Can't complain." Draco looked around with the same air of disgust that Matthew had. "Disgusting behaviour for wizards. The sooner your father takes over, the better."

"Now now, Draco," came Lucius' voice, his hand coming to rest on Draco's shoulder. "We can't have people hearing you talk like that. We don't want to draw unwanted attention."

"Lucius, I am sure that even if someone were to overhear, none of these drunken fools would be a match even for Draco." Voldemort said icily. Matthew saw the muscles in Draco's face clench, but he remained silent. Draco knew that he was by far the weakest magic user out of the six of their group. He was not so arrogant as to believe otherwise. "Let's get a move on. I want to go over some things with Matthew before he leaves for Hogwarts which will require time."

The four adults swept towards the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. Bellatrix pulled out her wand and tapped a brick. As Matthew watched, the bricks slid apart, revealing a long, narrow street, with shops along both sides. People were pushing and shoving past each other in their attempts to reach shop doorways. Voldemort walked with an air of authority through the crowd, who seemed to part just before he approached, allowing their group easy passage.

"You two can go in there and sort your robes out," Narcissa said, once they had reached Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. "Meet us outside Flourish and Blotts. We'll get your books."

Matthew glanced at his father. Voldemort nodded slightly, before turning and leading the way to the bookshop a few doors down. Matthew turned his attention to Draco, who was looking at the shop in disdain. "Come on, let's get this over with." The two boys pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Every wall was covered in coat rails. Robes of various styles and sizes hung from each, school robes, dress robes, Auror robes. Dresses made of fine silk hung from a rail near the back of the shop. As they stepped further into the robe shop, a witch came out to greet them.

"Ah! Mr Riddle, Mr Malfoy!" she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming, her face breaking out into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hogwarts robes?" Matthew smiled at her.

"Yes, I have a list here as well." He withdrew a short list from his pocket, handing it to the witch, who shook her head.

"No need, dear. I have another young man being fitted up just now for Hogwarts. I'm sure the lists would be the same."

Matthew smirked slightly. "I'm afraid you misunderstand me. This is a list my father asked me to purchase on his behalf. He's rather busy, so he can't come and get them himself."

Madam Malkin's eyes gleamed again; Mr Riddle was well known for spending large sums of gold without a moment's thought. She took the list from Matthew and glanced at it.

"I believe we have these out in the back somewhere. I'll have an assistant fetch them and put them with your uniform."

Matthew smiled again. "Thank you. Now, to business. We both need full sets of Hogwarts robes."

Madam Malkin led them through to the fitting room. On a stool in the corner was a boy who looked about their age. He was wearing clothes that were at least three sizes too big. His hair was jet black and stuck up all over the place. He had emerald green eyes, and wore glasses held together with what Matthew assumed was the Muggle equivalent of Spell-O-Tape. Matthew stepped up onto a stool next to the boy, and Draco got on the one next to Matthew.

"First year as well?" Matthew asked, looking over at the boy. He nodded. "Us as well," Matthew said, pointing at himself and Draco. "I'm Matthew Riddle, that's Draco Malfoy."

"Nice to meet you." the boy said, still avoiding their eyes. Matthew glanced at Draco, who gave a look of disdain to the boy.

"Know what house you'll be in?" Draco asked.

The boy shook his head. "No."

"Well, no one really knows until they get there. But we're both pretty certain we'll be in Slytherin, both of our families have all been there. Imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mm." The boy shifted on the stool slightly as the witch started to measure his legs.

"Play Quidditch at all?" Matthew asked, hoping to elicit some kind of conversation from the boy.

"No." the boy said again.

"What's your name?" Matthew asked, certain he would get an answer to that.

Before the boy could answer though, the witch measuring him said, "That's you done, dear." The boy pulled the robes off over his head. The witch waved her wand, and the alterations were made instantaneously.

"Well, I guess we'll see you at school," Draco drawled, looking at the boy with the same look of disdain he had before. The boy made a non-committal noise in his throat and walked out of the shop, where a huge man stood holding two large ice-creams. Matthew looked over at Draco.

"Muggle-born, I bet," he said, staring after the boy. "Didn't seem very informed about our world."

"We'll see, if he's going to Hogwarts he can't avoid us forever."

A few minutes later, Matthew and Draco's robes were fitted and altered. They walked back out to the front of the shop, where their robes were hanging along with the items the Dark Lord had ordered. Matthew reached into the money bag his father had supplied him with and passed over the necessary amount as Madam Malkin shrunk all the items of clothing into one small bag. Matthew thanked the witch for her help, picked up the bag and walked out of the shop.

Voldemort, Bellatrix, Lucius and Narcissa were waiting just outside, holding bags from Flourish and Blotts. Bellatrix had her wand out and was levitating two pewter cauldrons.

"Ah, there you are." Lucius said. He took the bag from Matthew and placed it in one of the cauldrons, before adding the books and potion ingredients. Voldemort waved his wand and the supplies vanished.

"Everything else we have at the Manor, so I suggest we leave. I'd rather spend as little time here as possible."

The group set off back toward the Leaky Cauldron. As they passed Ollivander's, they heard a boy's voice.

". . . have to have Charlie's old wand?"

Matthew saw Lucius look around and smirk. Following the Death Eater's gaze, Matthew saw a family, all with flaming red hair and freckles. As they watched, a man, also with red hair struggling with a large pile of books.

"Well, well, Arthur Weasley." Lucius drawled.

Mr Weasley stopped and looked around. His eyes narrowed as they settled on Lucius.

"Lucius."

Voldemort, Bellatrix, Narcissa and Draco had all stopped to watch as well. Lucius smirked slightly at the battered second hand supplies.

"I imagine you must be ever so grateful for the Hogwarts bursary. Maybe if you stopped playing with Muggle artefacts you'd get paid properly. But a blood traitors get what they deserve, in my opinion."

Mr Weasley's face went red.

"I think you'll find that it'll be you getting what you deserve, _Death Eater_," Mr Weasley hissed. "Someday, you and your deranged master will get their comeuppance."

Matthew's face twitched slightly. _If only he knew who is barely five feet from him._ He saw the muscles in Bella's face clench. He glanced at his father's face, but, as usual, could detect no emotion in the face of the Dark Lord. Lucius smirked widened slightly.

"You want to be careful shouting things like that, Weasley. You never know _who_ might be listening."

Mr Weasley harrumphed and led his family away down the street. Lucius gave a slight chuckle before turning to his companions. "Shall we?"

Voldemort swept in front, cutting a wide berth through the street back to the dingy pub. Once inside, they pushed their way roughly through the crowd and back out into Muggle London.

"Remember that I wish to see you tonight, Lucius." Voldemort said, as he offered his arm to Matthew. Lucius nodded. "You too, Bellatrix."

"Of course, my Lord," Bellatrix said, before Disapparating with a faint pop. Matthew barely had time to register her disappearance before he felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a very thin tube, reappearing moments later in the foyer of Riddle Manor.

"Go and pack your supplies, then meet me in my office. I have some last minute information to give you." his father said.

Matthew nodded. ""At once, father."

Voldemort watched his son climb the stairs until he was out of sight. _Soon, my plans will finally pay off._

oOoOo

Two hours later, Voldemort was in his office, going over a plan of what looked like a village when there was a knock at the door and Matthew entered. The boy took a seat in front of his father's desk.

"You said you had information to give me?"

"Yes." The Dark Lord stood up and walked over to a small pile of books. "These books are Dark Arts books. I have placed charms on them so that they appear to be normal textbooks to anyone except you." He waved his wand and the books vanished. "As I said before, Dumbledore knows you are my son. I'm not taking chances here. I have placed that information under the Fidelius Charm, which I have modified to allow both of us to be Secret Keepers. Only you or I can divulge the information. Anyone who already knew cannot tell anyone."

"Is that the same modification you used for the manor's location?" Matthew asked.

"It is. Finally, Severus has informed me of two interesting developments at Hogwarts this year. Firstly, Harry Potter will be joining this year."

Matthew smiled menacingly. "You want me to kill him at the first opportunity?"

To Matthew's surprise, his father shook his head. "No. You must remain at Hogwarts if my long-term plan is to succeed. Killing Harry Potter will have you expelled by the end of the year. Instead, I have a better plan, one which involves the second development. According to Severus' information, the Philosopher's Stone is being guarded at Hogwarts this year."

Matthew sat up a little. His knowledge of alchemy was sorely limited, but he had still come across mention of the Stone before. "Isn't that the Stone which produces the Elixir of Life?"

Voldemort nodded. "Yes. What you must do is try to get Harry Potter to go after the Stone. Dumbledore has put protection around the Stone, protection that will most likely kill Potter. It's not the most ideal plan, but if it fails, it makes little difference. This particular Stone was in the possession of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. If the Stone can be destroyed, we eliminate two of Dumbledore's greatest allies."

"Do you have a way of ensuring that Potter goes after the Stone?" Matthew asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

"Of course. You have proved yourself very capable with the Imperius Curse. Severus has already informed me that the Defence Against the Dark Arts post is being filled by Quirinus Quirrell. He is apparently very timid and nervous, easily susceptible to the Imperius Curse. Make him go after the Stone, leaving a trail for Potter to follow. He used to teach Muggle Studies. If he dies, he will not be missed in the new world we are creating."

Matthew nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Two things. Firstly, if you need to contact me, I have procured a set of Contact Mirrors. To use it, just look into it and say "Riddle Manor" in Parseltongue. If it is not an emergency, either send a letter or go to Severus."

Matthew nodded. "And the second thing?"

"You have proved very capable of Occlumency. Next summer, I will start to teach you how to use Legilimency to see people's thoughts. Over Christmas, you will return here, and Bellatrix will give you some extra training."

"Understood."

Voldemort smiled slightly. "The rest of the day is yours to do with as you wish. I will see you at dinner." With that, he turned his attention back to the plan. Matthew stood and left, thinking about how to best implement the plan his father had laid out.


End file.
